Paul Reddick returns to Calgary with his special brand of blues and a Juno

Juno-award winner Paul Reddick is visiting Calgary to perform with a local musical group, The New Customs, and explore the blues without imitating the classics.

The show will take place at Ironwood Stage & Grill at 8 p.m. on April 20. Reddick said Ironwood was his favourite venue to play at in Calgary, and that he had a good history with the city itself.

“They should expect to hear a whole bunch of my songs played by a fantastic band,” Reddick said. “When I was 18, I lived in Inglewood for a year. I’m always happy to go back and see how it’s changed.”

Reddick started his career in the blues as a kid with a harmonica, an instrument that has been heavily associated with the musical genre since its humble beginnings

“That’s where blues lives,” he said.

He spent a good portion of his youth studying the blues, both listening and reading the music, and continues to do so 25 years into his career.

In 1990, Reddick formed his own band, Paul Reddick & The Sidemen. Together, they developed a cult-like following, toured across Canada and released four albums, two of which were Juno nominated.

“We were very successful for about 10 years,” Reddick said.

The blues that Reddick played during the early days of his career was the initial version of what he still does. Most blues follows the typical 12-bar blues form that is dependent on guitar solos and certain kinds of singing.

“I write songs that are based in blues,” Reddick said. “They all draw upon a blues feel.”

Reddick, however, uses different patterns other than the 12-bar. He also likes to borrow from other genres like rock and funk.

After the band split up in 2001, Reddick decided to associate himself with a number of bands located everywhere from Italy to Halifax.

“It makes it more affordable to tour, as touring is an expensive hobby these days.”

For the Ironwood event, he will be playing with The New Customs, a musical duo consisting of Emma Cloney and Dale Brown.

Reddick won the 2017 Juno Award for Blues Album of the Year with his newest album, Ride The One, which was released by Stony Plain Records.

“You never expect to win, but it was beautiful,” Reddick said.

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences handed out the award to Reddick at the 2017 JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards in Ottawa on April 1. Holger Petersen, the president of Stony Plain Records, was in attendance.

“It was wonderful for Paul to win this JUNO,” Petersen said. “It’s an adventurous album of original songs and sounds with contributions from amazing, inspired players.”

Reddick said he was impressed with the competition that he was up against for the 2017 Blues Album of the Year.

“It makes it an even greater privilege to win.”

The album features 11 original songs and a backing band with special guest Steve Marriner of MonkeyJunk on guitar, keyboards and backing vocals.

The term “ride the one” means to stay on one cord and “just groove along,” which is exactly what the songs in the album do.

“The effect of them is hypnotic in their repetition,” Reddick said.

Reddick also said he hopes his win would encourage blues music while growing and diversifying its audience and practitioners.

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